The week in pictures: 23 November 2012

A Chinese man has received the first of several procedures to help remove the thick ‘fur’ that covers parts of his body. Zhang Hongming suffers from rare congenital giant pigmented nevus, commonly know as giant furred moles. Zhang was born with black birthmarks on his body but due to family poverty he didn't receive any treatment. "The fur was a nightmare for me since I was born," said Zhang. Initially, Zhang says, he only had black birthmarks but from the age of eight these started to grow thick black hair. Over the years he has faced much abuse and mocking and been nicknamed things such as ‘monkey’, ‘beast’ and ‘chimp’. Hua Mei Plastic Surgery Hospital agreed to provide free treatment to Zhang after hearing his story.Picture: HAP/Quirky China News / Rex Features